Boston, MA September 5, 2019 – On Sunday, October 20th, 2019 at 3:00 p.m., the Boston Children’s Chorus (BCC) will join bassist Carlos Henriquez and a 15-piece big band for Can’t Stop Singing That Song, a celebration of the music of Aline Shader. Conducted by Dr. Anthony Trecek-King, president and artistic director of BCC, the performance will take place at the Berklee Performance Center in Boston , MA. Tickets are available at the Berklee Performance Center box office, 136 Massachusetts Ave., Boston, MA 617-747-2261 berklee.edu/BPC. Reserved seating is $15 and ages 18 and under or with a student ID are free of charge. Tickets are required for all seats.
A prolific composer of children’s music, Aline Shader wrote more than 200 songs in her lifetime and inspired countless students as a teacher in Newton and as an artist-in-residence in Boston-area elementary schools. She created a part for every student in her many musicals based on children’s literature, American history, myths and fairy tales, and her work is still sung by thousands of school children across the United States each year.
“Aline loved the sound of young voices, the smiles on young faces and the joy that comes from singing together,” said Jennifer Hersch, producer of Can’t Stop Singing That Song. “She understood the power of music to build confidence, to spur imagination and to foster the unity that singing together brings. We are thrilled to be able to celebrate her work in this way.”
Carlos Henriquez, bassist with Wynton Marsalis and Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, has composed arrangements of Aline’s songs for big band and youth chorus. Henriquez will be joined by members of Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and special guests including singer-songwriters Kate Taylor and Julie Silver. Shader mentored Silver through much of her career. Lily Bayrock, Elana Cutler and Sami Greenberg will also be part of the show. The trio performed Aline’s music in benefit concerts for Reach Out & Read and Hillary Clinton in 1999.
Celebrated Finnish vocalist Johanna Grüssner will also perform. She met Aline during her studies at Berklee College of Music. After graduation, as a teacher P.S. 86 in the Bronx, Johanna invited Aline to the school as composer-in-residence that culminated in a concert of all-Shader songs. Johanna has recorded 25 solo albums and received cultural awards as a musician, producer, and conductor.
As a conductor and clinician Dr. Trecek-King has earned international recognition working with choirs and orchestras throughout the Americas, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Additionally, he is a coach and host on the Emmy Nominated TV Series, Sing That Thing.
The concert will benefit Reach Out & Read, a non-profit organization that gives young children a foundation for success by incorporating books into pediatric care and encouraging families to read aloud together. Celebrating its 30th anniversary, the program serves more than 4.7 million children and their families across the nation, with a special emphasis on reaching those in low-income communities, providing books in more than 14 languages.
Family and friends are keeping Aline’s music alive with Songs Children Sing, a website dedicated to singing and celebrating her songs. The site offers free sheet music downloads and full-length recordings. The site is a searchable anthology of Aline’s songs, listed by title, year composed, voicing, solos, musical form, and suggested uses.
“With Can’t Stop Singing That Song and Songs Children Sing, our goal is to ensure that these songs live on for a new generation of children and families,” said Hersch. “That is the most important legacy Aline could have hoped to leave.”
Can’t Stop Singing That Song, a celebration of the music of Aline Shader, will take place at the Berklee Performance Center in Boston, MA on Sunday, October 20, 2019 at 3:00 p.m. Tickets are available at the Berklee Performance Center box office, 136 Massachusetts Ave., Boston, MA 617-747-2261 berklee.edu/BPC. Reserved seating is $15 and ages 18 and under or with a student ID are free of charge. Tickets are required for all seats.
###
